By Sean Chung��

Halfway through 2026, the clean power industry has demonstrated that clean energy is here to stay — solar, wind, and battery storage will play a leading role in an era of rising electric demand.��

Developers energized a record-breaking 17.1 GW of new clean power capacity during the second quarter, pushing H1 installations to 23.9 GW (enough to power over 4 million homes!). Even as the industry faces policy uncertainty, the pipeline of development-stage projects has risen to 205 GW, a new high.������

A historic project led the way this quarter: Pattern Energy’s 3.65 GW SunZia Wind project, which was announced operational at ŷ����ɫƬ’s CLEANPOWER Conference in June. Over 18 years in the making, SunZia is the largest land-based wind project in U.S. history, and 4x the size of the second largest wind project. A 550-mile high-voltage transmission line connects 916 wind turbines in New Mexico to the CAISO grid, delivering low-cost wind energy to communities in Arizona and California.��

Not only is SunZia boosting clean power generation in the West, it is also expected to generate $20.5 billion in economic benefits over the lifetime of the project. The 2,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs, along with $1.3 billion in annual payments to local governments and landowners, will serve as a massive economic driver in the region. The deployment of wind turbines manufactured in the U.S. by GE Vernova and Vestas supports the domestic supply chain and manufacturing jobs.��

New Mexico isn’t the only state worth celebrating this quarter. Over 33 states have more than 1 GW of clean power projects in development. States like Kentucky and Tennessee, late-adopters of clean energy, have more than enough projects in development to double their operational capacity over the next few years. Utilities and C&I buyers across the nation are investing aggressively to bring clean power projects online as soon as possible.��

Clean Power Projects in the Pipeline

During Q2, Cypress Creek Energy and Google announced one of the largest power purchase agreements in history, 1.6 GWdc of solar and 1.9 GWh of battery storage from the Steel River Energy Center in Arkansas. Since acquiring Intersect earlier in the year, Google also broke ground on the more than one gigawatt Meitner Energy Center in Texas. In Michigan, DTE Energy and Oracle inked an agreement to deploy 1.5 GW of battery storage systems manufactured by LG Energy Solution Vertech over the next few years.��

Offtake Announcements Over Time

As the industry builds across the U.S., companies are creating jobs, reviving U.S. manufacturing, funding local governments, and supporting farmers with drought-proof lease payments, all while delivering reliable, low-cost electricity to communities.

Explore the latest Quarterly Clean Power Market Report, and dive into the updated State Fact Sheets!����

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To fully capture the economic benefits of industrial growth without compromising energy affordability for all customers, we need to meet this demand with new generation that can quickly come to market. Clean power provides this opportunity, with technologies that have faster speed to market and a robust pipeline of new projects waiting to deliver energy to the grid.��

ŷ����ɫƬ maintains a detailed database of clean power projects and their status, allowing us to track the time it takes for new projects to move through the development process.�� Across the hundreds of wind, solar, and energy storage projects with available data, each technology took less than two years on average to come online after entering the advanced development phase. Once under construction, no technology averaged more than a year before completion. These values represent capacity-weighted estimates for all projects that have come online since 2016, allowing us to compare development timelines for projects that vary in size. With new large loads able to interconnect within one to two years, clean power can quickly come online and provide energy contributions necessary to keep markets stable and prices low.����

Natural gas plants provide the most relevant sample of data to compare against clean power. Using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Generator Inventory, we compiled month-by-month updates for natural gas plants to track how long each project took to move through the development process.1����

Among natural gas plants that have come online since 2016, our sample finds longer construction times. Combined-cycle gas turbines (CCs), the most efficient type of natural gas unit, averaged a total of 3.1 years between advanced development and coming online, spending nearly two of those years (22 months) under construction. Natural gas combustion turbines (CTs) were faster at an average of 2.2 years, but they are still slower to reach the market than wind, solar, and energy storage projects, while taking longer to construct.����

Clean Power Queues��

In addition to faster construction timelines, clean power has a large bench of projects in development. A recent from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that out of over 2,000 GW of capacity in active interconnection queues nationwide, 84% is comprised of wind, solar, and storage projects. This represents a robust pipeline of new generation seeking interconnection that, after clearing regulatory hurdles, can quickly move through construction to put more electrons on the grid.��

To quickly and affordably meet future energy needs, we need to leverage the speed and low cost of clean energy projects.����

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Explore the new ŷ����ɫƬ resource, Speed to Market.��

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Washington, D.C. April 28, 2026��—��The��U.S. clean power industry��delivered��a year of sustained growth,��according to the latest��Annual��Clean Power Market��Report��from��the��ŷ����ɫƬ Association (ŷ����ɫƬ).��In��2025, the clean power sector invested��$79��billion��in new projects, supported more than 1.4��million jobs, and accounted for over 90% of all new electricity capacity added to the grid.��

“America’s clean power industry is delivering the energy the economy needs to thrive,”��said��ŷ����ɫƬ CEO Jason Grumet. “As our 2025 Annual��Market��Report demonstrates, we are not only meeting growing electricity demand��—��we are building an energy future that is made in America, benefits local communities, and��powers��our global competitiveness.”��

U.S. Clean Power by the Numbers in 2025:����

• Over 90%��of New��Power:��Utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage accounted for��91% of all new��power capacity connected to the U.S. grid, delivering over��50��gigawatts of new supply – enough to power��roughly 7��million homes.��������

• $150 Billion��Economic Driver:��The U.S. clean power industry contributed��over��$150 billion��to the U.S. economy��in 2025.��

• Powering��Rural��America:��Clean��power’s��363 GW of operational projects��generates��approximately��$3 billion��annually in state and local tax revenue��and��$3.2 billion��in land lease payments��that��provide reliable income to landowners.��

• 1.4��Million��Jobs Supported:��In 2025,��the clean power industry directly employed more��than��437,000 Americans��– and��broader economic activity��around the clean energy��sector means the��industry supports��more than 1.4��million jobs nationwide.��

• Above-Average��Wages:��Americans directly employed��by��the industry earned over $78,000 on average in 2025,��15%��higher than the national average.����

• Non-Partisan��Investment:��Clean power projects��can be found in all 50 states and��89% of congressional districts.��Notably, 79% of installed clean power capacity��is in��districts represented by Republicans.��

Trends��We’re��Tracking��in��2026:����

• Record Growth Accelerating:��Market watchers��anticipate��between 46-62 GW of clean power installations for the coming year, accounting for around 90% of all new power additions. This could be enough wind and solar capacity to power as many as 10.5 million homes, but the buildout coming to fruition hinges on the resolution of federal permitting challenges that are currently obstructing projects from progressing through the process.������

• States��Are��Stepping��Up:��Texas will be the first state to reach 100 GW of clean power capacity, but other states are also seeing accelerated growth.��Oklahoma, Iowa, Florida, Illinois, and Arizona each have enough pipeline capacity to surpass 15 GW operational over the coming year.��

• Battery��Storage Hits Its Stride:��The technology ended 2025 with 45 GW / 126 GWh of capacity in operation, and forecasts expect new battery storage capacity to��push��operational capacity over 50 GW��this year.����
• Offshore��Wind��Delivering:��Despite��unlawful��federal pushback,��offshore wind projects have already begun delivering power to the grid in 2026. A��third��of projects��are��close to��completion,��and two more��are��advancing��through construction milestones.����

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According to the report, rising demand for electricity, increases in extreme weather events, and delays in connecting new resources to the grid threaten stability across the U.S.

“In response to surging demand and increasing extreme weather events, we must embrace a diverse energy mix and avoid sidelining any market-ready generation,” said ŷ����ɫƬ (ŷ����ɫƬ) Association Vice President of Markets & Transmission Carrie Zalewski.

“We need to tap into the 1,000 GW of storage-hybrid facilities in the queue that can deliver low cost, flexible resources. Adding new transmission infrastructure and a diverse energy mix need to be top priorities.”

On enhancing resiliency, the report found that battery storage is outperforming expectations, providing flexibility to balance solar and wind variability, particularly during extreme weather and peak demand periods.

“Energy storage is having an outsized effect on enhancing grid reliability.��ERCOT is helping make that case,” Zalewski said.��“In the past year, during both winter and summer months, significant energy storage capacity additions provided ERCOT with the ability to navigate moments of stress on the grid while helping keep the lights on and produce hundreds of millions in energy cost savings in the process.”

Report Highlights:

• 51 percent jump in planned transmission projects over the next decade, with more than 28,000 miles of new transmission reported in planning stages, a much-needed step in expanding the grid to support renewable energy integration.
• 15 percent increase in summer peak demand and an 18 percent increase in winter peak demand over the next 10 years.
• Both figures are considerably higher than NERC’s last assessment and driven largely by surging energy needs from data centers.

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• $750 million in energy cost reductions in the Summer of 2024��

WASHINGTON DC, December 9, 2024 — The ŷ����ɫƬ Association (ŷ����ɫƬ) today released an analysis highlighting how recent significant additions of energy storage capacity over the past year in Texas has resulted in lower energy costs for consumers, the ability to avoid conservation appeals, and has enabled the power grid to better navigate extreme weather events.����

Key findings include:����

• Energy demand in Texas has skyrocketed over the past two years.������

• Large capacity additions of energy storage (5 GW) over the course of one year in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region helped outpace rising energy demand.��

• Energy storage capacity additions contributed to $750 million in cost reductions, creating savings for consumers.����

• Energy storage capacity additions helped prevent conservation appeals during Summer 2024 and helped ERCOT navigate prolonged moments of stress that would traditionally threaten the grid with power outages.��

ERCOT has in maintaining reliability at critical moments in a cost-efficient manner.����

“Energy storage is doing the job it was designed to do, delivering affordable power for Texas during the most critical moments, whether historic heatwaves or winter storms,” said Noah Roberts, VP of Energy Storage for ŷ����ɫƬ. “This flexible resource is both boosting the reliability of the grid and delivering cost savings for families and businesses. It has truly been a game changer for the state and ERCOT’s ability to navigate moments of stress on the power grid.”����

“Significant load growth in ERCOT over the last two years has created record-setting electricity demand in the state and new stresses on the power grid,” said John Zahurancik, Fluence President, Americas. “During this time of growing demand, we’ve seen a rapid deployment of battery storage capacity across the state, increasing 5X from 2022 to 2024 and delivering more than $750 million in savings for consumers. As this analysis clearly demonstrates, these battery storage resources are central to an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence, and a commonsense solution that brings greater flexibility, resilience, and affordability to the state of Texas.”��

“Texas continues to experience strong growth and unprecedented energy demand. Battery storage is essential in meeting this demand by providing cost-efficient energy when it is most needed,” said Eric De Caluwé, Managing Director of Flexible Generation for ENGIE North America. “As storage developers and operators, we are dedicated to ensuring that Texas residents and businesses have reliable electricity. Battery storage lowers consumer costs by storing surplus energy and releasing it during peak demand, avoiding the need for more expensive resources. These systems are highly flexible and respond quickly, significantly enhancing grid reliability during critical moments.”��

Texas has seen skyrocketing energy demand in recent years due to increasing population, electrification, and new industrial energy users. The state set records for electricity demand in both 2023 and 2024. This rise in demand, coupled with increasing weather events, has resulted in significant stress placed on the power grid in Texas.��

However, in the past year alone, ERCOT has deployed 5 GW of energy storage. This has contributed to the state’s ability to outpace rising energy demand and help avoid conservation appeals and power outages.����

Texas and its independent market operator, ERCOT, has thus served as a prime example of how rapidly our energy systems must evolve in the United States to be able to consistently deliver reliable and affordable energy to consumers—especially when Texans need it most.���� ��

Texas is expected to continue adding large amounts of energy storage capacity to its grid, with nearly 4.5 GW currently under construction and an additional 7.3 GW in the pipeline.����

To read more, access ŷ����ɫƬ’s analysis HERE.����

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The Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act makes important changes to reduce redundancies and impressive efficiencies to the state’s permitting process at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MN PUC), the agency responsible for approving permits for large-scale energy projects, including wind, solar, and battery storage. Last year, Minnesota passed a law requiring its utilities to generate or procure 100% of retail sales for public utility customers from carbon-free resources by 2040, 55% of which must be renewable (i.e., wind, solar, hydro, biomass) by 2035.

“The Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act will be critical to meeting Minnesota’s goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040,” said Erika Kowall, Director, Midwest State Affairs, ŷ����ɫƬ Association (ŷ����ɫƬ). “Minnesota already ranks tenth in the nation for clean energy production, and Governor Walz’s leadership on this issue will deliver real value to Minnesotans moving forward. ŷ����ɫƬ looks forward to continuing to work with Minnesota leaders to help unleash the state’s full clean energy potential.”

Clean Grid Alliance (CGA), which works to advance renewable energy in the Midwest, was a strong advocate for the permitting package. “Siting and permitting is the largest roadblock to deploying renewable projects across the Midwest, and the reforms in this package ensure Minnesota’s policies demonstrate the state’s readiness to welcome the clean energy transition,” said Beth Soholt, Executive Director, CGA.

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At the same time, developers struggled mightily to plug in projects this year as supply chains remained tight, detentions kept many solar projects from receiving panels, and grid connection issues delayed projects from starting to deliver power. Overall, this points to a slowdown from record levels seen in 2021 and 2020. So, paradoxically, while the industry is well positioned for accelerated future growth, 2022 will not live up to expectations.

With that in mind, let’s look at key clean energy highlights from this past year.

Passage of historic clean energy investment��
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the single largest investment in renewable power and climate action in our nation’s history.�� A key feature of this legislation is the extension of production and investment tax credits through 2024 before transitioning to a technology-neutral tax credit. The latter tax credit will remain in place until 2023 or when electric-sector emissions fall to 75% of 2022 levels, whichever is later. For the first time, energy storage is eligible for the investment tax credit, while domestic manufacturing of clean energy components is incentivized through additional tax credits.

ŷ����ɫƬ’s initial analysis of the IRA demonstrates the enormity of the legislation’s impact on the nation’s clean energy landscape. We expect that the IRA will deliver an estimated 525 to 550 gigawatts (GW) of new, utility-scale clean power from 2023-2030. Building on the existing clean power fleet, there will be roughly 750 GW of clean power capacity operating in 2030.��

Beyond providing clean and reliable energy, projects installed thanks to the IRA will have outsized benefits on their surrounding communities. Building 525 to 550 MW of new capacity will generate between $550 to $600 billion in capital investment. More broadly, construction of these projects is expected to generate over $900 billion in economic activity and add nearly $500 billion to U.S. GDP across the decade. After construction, ongoing maintenance and operations will contribute over $14 billion to U.S. GDP each year while generating nearly $29 billion in annual economic activity.

American made clean power
Between the passage of federal incentives��and the end of November, ŷ����ɫƬ is tracking more than $40 billion of new utility-scale clean energy investment announced. Alongside private investment, 20 new domestic manufacturing facilities supporting utility-scale clean energy have been announced, bringing with them 7,000 new American jobs.��

Throughout 2022, numerous clean energy manufacturers have announced plans for new U.S. facilities, strengthening a future made-in-American clean power supply chain. For instance, First Solar, a leading American tier 1 solar manufacturer, is investing heavily in its manufacturing capabilities throughout the U.S. The company is investing $1 billion in a new 3.5 GWdc manufacturing facility in the Southeast and expanding its footprint in Ohio with a $185 million investment to increase manufacturing capacity in the state by 0.9 GWdc. In total, the solar manufacturer expects to have a workforce of over 3,000 in four states, while supporting 15,000 indirect and induced jobs by 2025.1��

Once-abandoned manufacturing sites are also getting new life thanks to clean energy manufacturing companies. In Iowa, TPI Composites, a wind turbine maker, closed its doors in 2021, cutting 700 jobs. Now, thanks in part to support from the IRA, TPI Composites and General Electric have signed a 10-year agreement, allowing turbine blade production to resume in 2024, bringing Iowans back to work. Nextracker and BCI Steel have also announced plans to renovate the abandoned Bethlehem Steel factory in Pittsburgh, PA. The Pittsburgh facility is Nextracker’s third partnership with a steel manufacturing partner in 2022 as part of the company’s commitment to rebuilding America’s steel and solar supply chains.��

The IRA has also given many utilities the opportunity to reduce electricity costs for customers, providing over $2.5 billion of consumer savings to 15 million Americans. Companies explicitly tied these savings to federal incentives that make new project investment less expensive, meaning utilities can rely less on customer rate increases to fund projects.

Historic offshore wind leases across our nation’s coasts
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held three offshore wind lease auctions in 2022. The first, held in February, took place in the New York Bight, a stretch of ocean between New York and New Jersey. The auction, for six lease areas with the potential for at least 5.6 GW of capacity, lasted three days and drew winning bids totaling roughly $4.37 billion. This record-breaking offshore wind lease auction highlights the strong opportunities for developers in the region.��

BOEM held two additional offshore wind lease auctions in 2022. In May, an auction for two lease areas in the Carolina Long Bay region resulted in winning bids totaling $315 million. Combined, the two areas have a potential capacity of at least 1.3 GW. This lease auction represents the southernmost lease sale on the East Coast, bringing more clean, reliable offshore wind energy to the Carolinas.

In December, BOEM held the nation’s first offshore wind lease auction on the West Coast. The lease auction, for two leases off Northern California and three leases off the Central Coast, lasted two days and drew winning bids totaling $757 million. Deep waters in these lease areas necessitate the use of floating offshore wind. The U.S. is primed to be a leader in the development of floating offshore wind��technology.

Delays, delays, delays
Despite expected future investment and growth, the industry currently faces supply chain and trade roadblocks stagnating new installations. ŷ����ɫƬ is tracking clean power project delays happening since the end of 2021 and the volume is staggering – over 36 GW of clean power are delayed. These are projects that should otherwise be online and delivering clean power to Americans.

More than 8 GW of projects have experienced multiple delays. Delays are setting many projects back by more than just a few months; of the 14.2 GW of delayed capacity that was expected online in the third quarter of the year, only half of it is expected to come online by the end of the year. On average, delays are well over six months.

Solar projects make up 63% of the delayed capacity, primarily due to an inability to obtain panels as a result of continuing trade restrictions. Wind accounts for just less than a quarter of all delayed capacity. Wind delays are caused by ongoing supply chain constraints and grid interconnection delays. Battery storage has been the least affected, continuing to achieve record quarter after record quarter for new installations, but has not gone totally unimpacted. Nearly 5 GW of battery storage capacity, primarily paired with delayed solar projects, has experienced delays.����

Historic clean power projects begin operations��
Despite headwinds, clean energy developers have been able to bring online multiple historic projects this year. One project that cannot go without mention is Traverse Wind, one of the largest single phase wind projects to be commissioned in the country to date. The 998 MW Oklahoma project, developed by Invenergy, came online in the first quarter of the year. There are now 356 General Electric turbines operating at the site and providing power to the Southwestern Electric Power Company and Public Service Company of Oklahoma. American Electric Power Company (AEP) chairman, president, and CEO Nicholas K. Akins stated that the project’s completion was a “significant milestone in [AEP’s] efforts to provide clean, reliable power to [their] customers while saving them money.”

NextEra’s Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, which came online this year in Oregon, is a prime example of the growth of hybrid clean energy projects. Wheatridge, featuring 300 MW of wind capacity, 50 MW of solar, and 30 MW/120 MWh of battery storage capacity, is the largest fully operational hybrid facility in the U.S. combining all three technologies. The project is playing a big part in getting Portland Gas and Electric, who is purchasing the output, closer to their goal to��reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by at least 80% by 2030.��

Battery storage has been growing rapidly over the past few years, in part because of increasingly large standalone projects commissioning. One example of that is the Crimson Storage project, the largest single-phase battery project currently operating. The project, located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the California desert, was developed by Axium Infrastructure and Canadian Solar. Two California utilities, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric, hold long-term contracts with the project, thanks in part to reliability mandates made by the California Public Utilities Commission.��

As the year comes to a close, the clean energy industry has much to celebrate, yet lots of work still left to do.�� More than 216 GW of clean energy are currently operating and powering homes and businesses across the nation. With the passage of the IRA, historic investment is poised to help the industry exponentially increase annual deployments while building out a domestic supply chain.�� However, several roadblocks remain. To realize the full power potential of the clean energy industry in the coming year, Washington must focus its efforts on improving trade policies, enacting common sense permitting reform, and finalizing effective tax implementation.����And if these important policies come to fruition, clean power will continue to grow across the country and power more homes and American businesses, create jobs and spur a new era of American manufacturing.

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In just the last three months, over $40 billion of new grid-scale clean energy investments have been announced, according to ŷ����ɫƬ’s new Clean Energy Investing in America report. This amount is equal to the total investment estimated for all clean energy projects installed in 2021.

Across the country, in red and blue states, this results in jobs and more affordable energy. Twenty new clean energy manufacturing facilities have been announced in the last three months, creating 7,000 new jobs. From Wisconsin to Texas, and Alabama to Colorado, the clean energy industry is building utility-scale projects and manufacturing facilities.

Other key highlights of the Clean Energy Investing in America report include:��

• $2.5 billion in consumer savings  ��
• Over 13 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity  ��
• 12 new solar manufacturing facilities �į ��
• 6 new grid-scale battery storage manufacturing facilities ��
• 1 reopening and 1 expansion of wind power manufacturing facilities �į  �į��

The clean power industry’s job-creating investments are already underway across America. Here are just a few of the over $40 billion in domestic clean energy investments ŷ����ɫƬ members are making across America:����

• recently announced plans to build a new U.S. solar manufacturing facility, which will create up to 1,500 clean power jobs and support the creation of a domestic solar supply chain. ����
• announced that an Iowa wind blade production plant will reopen, bringing up to 800 jobs to the region.��
• plans to build a 460-megawatt solar project in Minnesota that will replace a coal-fired power plant.��
• projects long-term customer savings of nearly $2 billion.��
• announced plans for its first utility-scale battery installations at solar farms in Wisconsin.��
• Florida plans to decrease rates, saving customers $56 million annually.��
• , the only solar panel manufacturer in Texas, plans to more than triple its capacity to 1 gigawatt annually and double its staff by 2024.��  
  ��

The clean power industry is investing in our economy, powering jobs, and reducing emissions. Federal incentives of the past year are only beginning to take effect, but they are already laying the foundation to make America a manufacturing powerhouse, help reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources to meet our domestic needs and ensure an energy transition for all.

To keep up the momentum and ensure the full potential of these investments and manufacturing facilities, ŷ����ɫƬ urges the Administration and Congress to continue improving trade policies, enacting common sense permitting reform, and finalizing effective tax implementation. Only then can we – and will we – be able to realize the potential these significant investments have unlocked. ��

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